Method and apparatus for dosing fibrous material



June 4, 1968 3,386,372

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DOSING FIBROUS MATERIAL KARL-HEINZ KNIPP 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 26, 1965 IN VE N TOR KARL -/-/EINZ KAI/PP J n 1968 KARL-HEINZ KNIPP METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DOSING FIBROUS MATERIAL v 26, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug.

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United States Patent 3,386,372 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DOSING FIBROUS MATERIAL Karl-Heinz Knipp, Dusseldorf, Germany, assignor to Lindemann Maschinenfabrik G.m.b.H., Dusseldorf, Germany Filed Aug. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 482,712 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 29, 1964,

L 48,659, Patent 1,214,138

5 Claims. (Cl. 100-35) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and an apparatus for apportionately feeding fibrous material supplied through an at least vertical feed channel into the collecting chamber of a tramper press, the fibrous material being allowed to accumulate in said channel to form a plug closing the outlet opening thereof, the level of said plug moving between a lower and an upper detecting means each of which, respectively switches off and switches in a feeding device comprising raking means to detach a substantially constant volume of material from said plug for delivery into said collecting chamber.

My invention relates to a method and an apparatus for apportion-ately feeding fibrous material into the collecting chamber of a tramper press preparatory to compressing it in a baling press into bales of desired weight.

Known methods and apparatus of said type utilize the fact that the pressure to which a certain volume of fibrous material is exposed in a press box is proportionate with the weight of said volume. Therefore, to hold deviations from the desired weight of the pressed bale within acceptable limits, the feed of material to the press box was decreased as the desired weight limit was approached. This known method led to satisfactory results as long 'as the material was substantially evenly fed. If, however, the feed fluctuated, then material was often compressed in the press box before having been sufficiently replenished and this resulted in over-compressing or dead pressing of the material so that the pressure exerted by the press ram Was no longer proportionate to the weight of the volume of the fibrous material received in the press box. The bales became then too weighty.

The object of my invention is to provide a method and an apparatus of the indicated type which are fully suitable and satisfactory even if the supply of the fibrous material is, as often happens, not uniform. According to my invention ravelings, fluff, lint or other loose short fibers from yarn-s or fabrics are allowed to drop freely into a feed channel carrying fibers into the collecting chamber of a tramper press, and to form a clod or plug in said channel adjacent its discharge opening, whereupon portions of uniform weight are detached from said clod or plug for delivery to the press box.

The apparatus according to my invention comprises a preferable inclined at least vertical feed channel supplying the fibrous material to the collecting chamber of a tramper press and feeder means including raking members which during their positive movement penetrate into the material accumulated as a clod or plug in the feed channel next to its discharge opening and supply the material to said collecting chamber. In operating my apparatus the fibrous material which enters the feed channel while the feeder is at rest, is permitted to accumulate next above the discharge opening of the channel to form a clod or plug reaching up to a certain height, and when this height is reached the feeder means are put in opera- Patented June 4, 1968 tion; before the clod or plug is used up, the feeder means is again stopped so that the fibrous material will anew accumulate to said certain height, and so on until after a pre-elected number of positive strokes of the raking members, which number is in accordance with the desired weight of the bales, the feeder means is turned off to permit the fibrous column to reach the original height. The precision of the before described apportioned feeding :depends only upon the quantity of fibrous material detached from the clod or plug by every positive motion of the properly dimensioned feeder means.

My invention provides the further advantage that the clod or plug within the feed channel prevents the air stream carrying fibrous material into the channel to reach and obstruct the driving mechanism of the feeder means, and even to reach the tramper head operating in the collecting chamber.

The particular type of detecting and control means which respond to the height of the fibrous material accumulating in the channel to form the clod or plug and which control the operation of the feeder means is not of primary importance in carrying out my invention. In the simplest manner such detecting means may consist of an observation window arranged in the feed channel at the proper height which window will be watched by an attendant who will start the operation of the feeder means when the accumulated fibrous material reaches said height. In my preferred embodiment I use an automatic detector such as a photoelectric light gate which responds when the clod or plug reaches said height and puts the feeder means automatically in operation. The repeated stopping of the feeder means during the operation of the tamper press will be achieved in a similar manner. For example, the feeder means could be permitted to perform only a limited number of revolutions each time after having been started to detach fibrous material from the clod or plug. Or an observation window or an automatic detector as described above may be used at a proper lower level.

The said and other objects of my invention will be more fully understood from the following specification when read with the accompanying drawing wherein one embodiment is illustrated.

In the drawing? FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4 illustrate identical longitudinal sectional views of the apparatus showing the same in four succeeding operational stages,

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section along line AA of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along line 3-3 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 7 illustrates diagrammatically a control system for carrying out my new method and for operating my new apparatus.

The same reference characters indicate the same or equivalent parts of the illustrated apparatus in all figures of the drawing.

The apparatus comprises a preferably inclined feed channel 1 which may be connected at its upper end to a textile machine such as a spinning machine and which serves to supply ravelings, lint, fluff, or other loose short fibers from yarn or fabrics into a collecting chamber 4 of a tramper press wherein the fibrous material is compacted in known manner prior to reaching an interchangeable pre-press box 2 associated with a not shown conventional baling press. The fibrous material is brought by an airstream to the feed inlet opening of the channel 1 and is allowed to drop into said channel under its own weight to form a column therein. The portion of the channel 1 preceding its discharge opening 3 into the collecting chamber 4 is preferably bent to form a knee or elbow 1a. The tramper press includes a cylinder 5 resting on top of the collecting chamber 4 and a plunger 6 with tramper head 7 hydraulically driven. This tramper head 7 while moving downward compresses the fibrous material and pushes the same into the pre-press box 2. Between this box 2 and the collecting chamber 4 is an intermediate chamber 30 with hinged retaining fingers 31 which prevent the prepressed fibrous material to flow back.

Within the bend of the elbowed channel portion 1a is a feeding device 8 located which includes a plurality of raking fingers 9 arranged next to each other in one plane as particularly shown in FIG. 6. Slots 19 in the inner wall of the elbowed channel portion 1a permit the anticlockwise moving raking fingers 9 o enter this portion 1a and to move downwardly against the channel outlet 3 thereby positively feeding fibrous material accumulated as a clod or plug 28 in the channel 1 into the collecting chamber 4. On their inoperative return movement the fingers 9 move outside the elbowed channel portion In, their tips following a path substantially indicated by the dotted arrowed line 14. In the shown embodiment the raking fingers 9 are hinged to a rotatable disk 11 which is driven by shaft 19 and motor 20 (not shown in FIGS. 1-4 but indicated in FIG. 7) over a crank member 12 with arm 13.

An upper detecting means 15 such as a photoelectric light gate composed of a sender 16 and a receiver 17, is arranged at a desired higher level above the elbowed channel portion 1a, and another lower detecting means 18 is arranged at a less elevated level. These detecting means serve to ascertain or to react to a maximal and minimal height, respectively, of the column of fibrous material accumulating in the channel 1 and they assure leaving a permanent clod or plug 28 in the channel 1 preceding its discharge opening 3.

The shaft 19 driving the feeding device 8 is provided as illustrated in FIG. 7 with a revolution counter 21 whose data are electrically communicated over connecting line 22 to a control switch 23. The number of revolutions computed by the counter 21 is a measure of the volume of material detached from clod or plug 28 for delivery into the collecting chamber 4 of the tramper press. The motor is supplied with energy from a voltage source 25 over a circuit breaker 26 operated by said control switch 23 which is connected to and governed by the said detecting means 15 and 18 and which also operates a hydraulic switch 27 governing the pressure medium flowing into the tramper press cylinder 5.

The before described apparatus operates as follows:

When starting the apparatus the feeding means 8 are held at rest and fibers falling into the feed channel 1 are allowed to accumulate to form a clod or plug 28 next to the discharge opening 3 in the preferably elbowed end portion of the feed channel as illustrated in FIG. 1. During this time the raking fingers 9 are advantageously located in or near the plane of the outlet 3 to preclude any fibers from reaching the collecting chamber 4. The clod or plug 28 covers the slots 10 and prevents airstream to enter the feeder 8 and to entrain fibers thereinto thereby blocking up its moving parts as happened in known de- V1CS.

After the clod or plug 28 built up into a column reaching a preselected initial height at the upper detecting and control means 15 such as the photoelectric light gate 15, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the motor 20 driving the feeder 8 is automatically switched in over the control switch 23 which is electrically controlled by said upper detecting means 15, besides being also controlled by the lower detecting means 18 as will be later explained. The now operating feeder 8 separates with its circulating raking fingers 9 a certain, always constant quantity of fibers from the clod 28 for delivery into the collecting chamber 4, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Consequently the column of fibers in channel 1 decreases constantly until the position shown in FIG. 4 is reached wherein the level of said clod or plug 23 dropped into the range of the lower detecting means 18, which then causes the control switch 23 to switch off the motor 20. While the feeder 8 is driven the counter 21 registers a pre-elected number of revolutions of the driving shaft 19 of the feeder 3, said number of revolutions being proportional to the total quantity of fibers separated from the clod 28, and communicates this intelligence to the control switch 23, which switches off the motor 2i). Thus always only a portion of the clod or plug 23 is delivered into the collecting chamber 4- while the remaining building up portion of the clod or plug continues to seal the channel 1.

Substantially at the same time when the control switch 23 switches off the motor 20 over the circuit breaker Z6 and the mains 24, it also operates over mains 29 the hydraulic switch 27 which controls the flow of pressure medium into the cylinder 5 of the tramper press, thereby causing the tramper head 7 to move downward and to push the fibers into the pre-press box 2 located below the collecting chamber 4. Following each reciprocation of the tramper head 7 the motor 20 is again switched in by the detector 15 when the level of accumulated fibres above the top of the clod or plug 28 reenters the range of the upper detector 15 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The operation of the apparatus is then repeated as described above.

The number of strokes of the ranking fingers S or the number of revolutions of the driving disk 11 required to deliver to the collecting chamber 4 and thus to the prepress box 2 a quantity of fibers having a desired weight is ascertained by preliminary measurements. The number of revolutions causing said strokes is set as a limit in the counter 21. When this number is reached, the collecting chamber 4 and thereafter the box 2 will contain a quantity of fibers having quite exactly the weight of the desired bales; at this time the operation of the device is momentarily interrupted and the pre-press box 2 containing the tramped in fibers is moved into the not shown baling press and is replaced by another empty pre-press box 2 for a new operational cycle.

While one specific embodiment of my invention has been shown and described 'in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of my invention, it will be understood that my invention may be otherwise embodied without departing from such principles.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The method of apportioning fibrous material into the collecting chamber of a tramper press preparatory to their compression into bales in a baling press comprising the steps introducing fibrous material into a feed channel having :a discharge opening leading into the collecting chamber of the tramper press; allowing the fibrous material to accumulate in front of said discharge opening to form a permanent plug having a level reciprocable between a minimal height and a maximal height; detaching portions from said plug by feeding means for delivery into the collecting chamber when and after the rising level of the plug reaches its maximal height until it decreases to its minimal height; and stopping the operation of said feeding means when the level of the plug reaches its minimal height until it regains its maximal height while keeping said discharge opening at least substantially closed by the stopped feeding means.

2. In combination with a tramper press having a collecting chamber for fibrous material to be compressed into bales in a baling press, the improvement comprising in combination a feed channel having a discharge opening leading into said collecting chamber, said feed channel receiving fibrous material and accumulating the same in front of the discharge opening to form a permanently existing plug; feeder means operating on the plug to detach and to deliver portions thereof into the collecting chamber; said feeder means when at rest at least substantially closing the discharge opening to permit the fibrous material to accumulate into said plug; driving means actuating the feeder means; first detecting means responsive to the minimal height of the plug and disengaging the feeder means from its driving means; second detecting means associated with the feed channel in spaced relation above the first detecting means and responsive to the maximal height of the plug to i e-engage the driving means to the feeder means thereby causing the feeder means to operate on the plug while the same decreases from its maximal height to its minimal height.

3. In combination with a tramper press having a collecting chamber for fibrous material to be compressed into bales in a baling press, the improvement comprising in combination a feed channel having a discharge opening leading into said collecting chamber, said feed channel receiving fibrous material and accumulating the same in front of the discharge opening to form a permanently existing plug; a feeder means operating on the plug to detach and to deliver portions thereof into the collecting chamber; said feeder means when at rest at least substantially closing the discharge opening to permit the fibrous material to accumulate into said plug; driving means actuating the feeder means; a first photoelectric gate means responsive to the minimal height of the plug and disengaging the feeder means from its driving means; second photoelectric gate means associated with the feed channel in spaced relation above the first photoelectric gate means and responsive to the maximal height of the plug to re-engage the driving means to the feeder means thereby causing the feeder means to operate on the plug while the same decreases from its maximal height to its minimal height.

4. In combination with a tramper press having a collecting chamber for fibrous material to be compressed into bales in a baling press, the improvement comprising in combination a feed channel having a discharge opening leading into said collecting chamber, said collecting chamber receiving fibrous material and accumulating the same in front of the discharge opening to form a permanently existing plug; a feeder means operating on the plug to detach and to deliver portions thereof into the collecting chamber; said feeder means when at rest at least substantially closing the discharge opening to permit the fibrous material to accumulate into said plug; driving means actuating the feeder means; first detecting means responsive to the minimal height of the plug and disengaging the feeder means from its driving means; second detecting means associated with the feed channel in spaced relation above the first detecting means and responsive to the maximal height of the plug to re-engage the driving means to the feeder means thereby causing the feeder means to operate on the plug while the same decreases from its maximal height to its minimal height; and a revolution counter associated with the feeder means to arrest the same after a preselected number of revolutions of the feeder whereby a predetermined volume of fibrous material is delivered to the collecting chamber.

5. The improvement defined in claim 4 comprising control switch means governed by the detecting means and responding to the revolution counter, and a current breaker governing the driving means in response to said control switch means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 836,488 11/ 1906 Cumpston -45 893,145 7/1908 Cass 10045 1,340,964 5/1920 Ligon 10045 2,169,667 8/1939 Streun 100-223 X 2,646,745 7/1953 Seltzer 100-53 2,837,022 6/1958- Day 100-215 3,040,653 6/1962 Neitzel 100223 X 3,212,433 10/1965 Raab 100--45 3,252,409 5/1966 Merkel et al 100--223 LOUIS O. MAASSEL, Primary Examiner. 

